Thiruvananthapuram: Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Thursday criticised Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan over his remarks on the upcoming sequel to The Kerala Story, accusing him of attempting to “distract the people” ahead of the end of his tenure.

Speaking to ANI, the Kerala Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president alleged that Vijayan’s comments describing the sequel as a “hate-mongering film” were politically motivated.

“Pinarayi Vijayan has 45 days more as Chief Minister, and he knows that on the 46th day, he is going to have to move his residence. When a movie came out that was against the BJP, we did not protest or say anything. He quoted Freedom of Expression. How is it that when somebody else makes a movie against his political thinking, it suddenly becomes a problem? This is hypocrisy. This is basically an attempt to distract the people of Kerala from his 10 years of failure,” Chandrasekhar said.

He claimed that the controversy surrounding 'The Kerala Story 2' was an attempt to divert public attention from what he described as “10 years of failure” by the Left government in Kerala.

BJP cites freedom of expression

Chandrasekhar asserted that filmmakers have a constitutional right to produce films and audiences have the right to view them.

“I wanted to tell you, Pinarayi Vijayan, that nobody has appointed you protector. There is no need for you to act like you're a protector of any community. Every Indian today, every Malayali, is given the same fundamental rights. Stop making fools out of people. This movie will be shown because just as much as you have the right to watch a movie, I have the right to watch a movie. Just as any director has the right to make a movie, this director also has the right to make a movie,” he said.

He urged the Chief Minister not to “threaten people” or create fear over the release of the film. “If you have a problem with it, and if there is something illegal in the movie, go to court. But don't try to threaten people. Don't try to use your Chief Minister's position to create fear amongst people that we will not allow,” he added.

Also Read | ‘Beef without porotta?’ Malayalis troll Kerala Story 2 teaser’s viral scene

Pinarayi Vijayan opposes the sequel

Earlier, Vijayan posted on X expressing strong opposition to reports about the sequel to 'The Kerala Story'. He said the film should be viewed with “utmost gravity” and described it as an attempt to incite communal discord in Kerala.

“The reports regarding the release of a sequel to the hate-mongering film 'The Kerala Story' should be seen with utmost gravity. Having already seen through the communal agenda and blatant lies of the first part, Kerala will once again reject this attempt to demonise our secular fabric with contempt,” Vijayan said.

About ‘The Kerala Story 2’

The makers recently released the trailer of 'The Kerala Story 2', which portrays Hindu women allegedly being trapped by Islamist men under the guise of romantic relationships. The storyline depicts how relationships evolve into coercion and loss of personal freedom.

The film is written by Amarnath Jha and Vipul Amrutlal Shah and directed by Kamakhya Narayan Singh. It is scheduled for theatrical release on February 27.

Also Read | ‘Politically motivated propaganda’: The Kerala Story 2 faces backlash

The political exchange has intensified the debate around freedom of expression, communal harmony and film censorship in Kerala, with the controversy surrounding 'The Kerala Story 2' emerging as a fresh flashpoint in state politics.

ANI